Keiji Inafune Thanks Backers For Kickstarter's Success

Comcept's Kickstarter for the Mega Man-inspired Mighty No. 9 is already a success and backers are currently working their way through the project's stretch goals. In celebration, Inafune has posted a new video in which he shares his gratitude for the support of his fans.

Mighty No. 9 was only announced yesterday, but has blown past its $900,000 goal and currently has $1.32 million in pledges. The side-scrolling action game draws obvious inspiration from Mega Man, but Comcept says the game will apply "modern tech, fresh mechanics, and fan input" to the classic formula.

Backers have already reached Mighty No. 9's first stretch goal, which adds two extra stages to the originally planned six stages. The next stretch goal guarantees Mac and Linux versions at $1.35 million (which will likely happen in the next couple of hours), followed by new game plus and turbo modes at $1.5 million. The developer is clearly ecstatic with the Kickstarter's success, leading Inafune to post a thank-you video on YouTube:

Our TakeComcept's success comes hot on the heels of another Japanese Kickstarter, Project Phoenix, which has surpassed its modest $100,000 goal sevenfold (and still has a week left in its funding campaign). Kickstarter seems like the perfect venue for veteran Japanese developers to find success outside of the traditional developer/publisher relationship, especially considering how devoted their longtime fans can be. Inafune, for one, seems to understand the importance of fan support, and it's nice to see him extending his thanks to early backers in a personal video.